10 QUESTIONS with VIC: Featuring JULIE BROWN
Julie Brown is not your average valley girl. She started her career at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco and was soon doing frequent guest appearances on television when she decided to add “singer” to her resume. She released an album “Goddess in Progress” which contained the hits “Homecoming Queen’s Got a Gun”, “I like “me Big and Stupid” and “Cause I’m a Blonde”, and “Earth Girls Are Easy” – then went on to write and star in the movie version of the song. Since, she has had a prolific career in TV, film, theater and stand-up, but stays close to her roots in the San Fernando valley.
Modesty aside, how would you describe yourself?
Gorgeous, impossibly thin, amazing natural red hair, and I have great boobs! I would say that I eat well only because junk food makes me sick, I don’t drink and work out as much as I can force myself. I take sleeping pills to make sure I get 8 hours of sleep. So, I’m sort of healthy. And as far as my personality, I’m happy to say that after years of therapy, two divorces and the right medication, I’m a pretty happy person!
I did not know that you are a real Valley Girl and attended to Van Nuys High School. How was it growing up in the valley?
Growing up in the Valley was great. It was very middle, normal then. But it was almost too normal. I always felt like something was missing. Black people and Hispanic people and Gay people. Then I went to acting school in San Francisco, and I finally found the gay people! And the Valley has thankfully gotten more diverse too!
How do you reflect on the era when you had a show on MTV in the late 80s/early 90s?
When I had a show on MTV, that was an amazing time in music. It’s was New Wave, Punk, dance music and Hip Hop was just starting. And the fact that everyone could see the same videos on MTV, well we were all on the same page. And music was about having fun. Then grunge came in and MTV got into reality television. The fun stopped.
Tell me about your LGBTQ+ fans.
I love them so much! They’ve always supported me. I had LGBTQ+ fans in San Francisco when I firststarted performing, and they’ve always shown up for me. And they know all your material! Especially the drag queens! Plus, they have a great sense of humor and they’re just smarter. You can make a reference that the gay audiences get that will baffle a straight audience.
Biggest pet peeve?
Well I have 3 pets, and the one that peeves me off the most is my dog Grover. He’s very stubborn and is obsessed with going upstairs and chasing the cat Banana. If you mean what bugs me the most with people’ I would say that people are way too consumed by their phone. They’re missing a lot of life. I mean, I don’t think the most interesting, thoughtful people are on their phone all day. Is the Dali Lama on Instagram? I don’t think so.
You used to tease Madonna quite a bit back in the days. Did you ever have a run-in with her?
No, while I was rehearsing Medusa she sent me a half-drunk bottle of warm champagne with a note that said, “Good Luck Madonna”. I saved it because it had Madonna spit in it.
What’s your favorite charity or cause?
I don’t’ know if I have a favorite. I love the LGBTQ center in Hollywood, I’ve performed for them a lot and they have so many services for the community, Emily’s List, Moms Against Guns, Sierra Club and Doctors Against Republicans.
What living person in the community do you most admire?
Lily Tomlin. She and her partner have given a lot of money to the [LA LGBT] Center, and personally, she came to see me when I was a young struggling comedian and got me my SAG Card.
What exciting project do you have coming up?
Kurt Koehler and I are working on a musical of Earth Girls are Easy which we’re going to do in the spring. And I’m going to do a Kickstarter campaign to do a web series of Medusa!
Tell me a secret-a good one!
Once backstage, Zha Zha Gabor touched my boob. She said, “We’re the only ones with breasts, darling!”